Destination: Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
Study Period: February – June 2023
Affiliation at the start of studying abroad: School of Design, Design Futures Course

There were three reasons why I chose UNIST as my study abroad destination.
First, I decided to study at UNIST because the semester started during the spring break of Geiko, so I did not have to take classes at the same time as Geiko. Although the semester slightly overlapped with the Geiko summer quarter, I did not take any classes during the Geiko summer quarter. Secondly, the UNIST School of Design website was very comprehensive and easy to understand, with many examples of students’ work and information on what kind of classes they offer. Finally, when searching for a study abroad destination on the Internet, I found that the fields I wanted to study at UNIST were more similar to what I am studying at Geiko than at other partner universities.

The most attractive thing about UNIST is that all classes are offered in English. For undergraduate students, many partner universities offer only some classes in English, but at UNIST, I could choose the classes I wanted to take without being restricted by language.
Also, there are many on-campus events, such as the Engineering Fest and the New Year’s event to coincide with the Central Asian New Year.
In terms of on-campus facilities, all the buildings were very clean. The library is especially attractive and the café inside is very comfortable.

There are many international students at UNIST, and at the beginning of my stay, I often felt frustrated because I could not express my feelings well, but I thought it was important to have a strong desire to communicate even if I made a mistake of the grammar, and I actively tried to talk to them. As a result, I became friends with students from various countries and even travelled with them on weekends.

I think I would have been able to understand the classes at UNIST better if I had acquired some 3D modeling skills prior to my study abroad. I also feel that I need to continue to improve my English-speaking skills and vocabulary.

I know there are many things to be anxious about before studying abroad, but I believe that once you jump into it, you can handle it. Remember you had cleared the English entrance examination to Kyushu University, so you will be fine but don’t be complacent. I hope you will consider UNIST as one of your study-abroad destinations.